1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a check valve, and more particularly, to a check valve provided at a hydraulic path of an electronically controlled brake system to control a flow of oil to be in only one direction.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, an electronically controlled brake system is for efficiently preventing a slip phenomenon of a wheel which can occur when a vehicle is braked, suddenly and unintentionally accelerated, or rapidly accelerated, and includes a plurality of solenoid valves configured to control brake oil pressure transferred from a master cylinder to a wheel cylinder, an accumulator configured to temporarily store oil flowing out of the wheel cylinder, a pump configured to send oil flowing out of the wheel cylinder toward the master cylinder, and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control driving of the solenoid valve and the pump. The solenoid valve, the accumulator, and the pump are installed in a modulator block including a path forming a hydraulic circuit and control brake oil pressure.
The check valve is installed at a proper place at a path formed in the modulator block as described above for controlling a flow of oil to be in one direction.
As is well known, the check valve includes a valve seat which is provided in a valve housing and in which an oil path is formed, a ball configured to open or close the oil path, an elastic member configured to elastically support the ball, a retainer configured to prevent the elastic member from escaping, and the like so that oil flows in only one direction.
However, since a conventional check valve is formed to open or close an oil path using a ball, a contact surface of the oil path which comes into contact with the ball has to be precisely processed, and thus a structure thereof becomes complex and cost also increases.
In addition, since each part of a conventional check valve is manufactured through a molding process or forging process, there is a problem in that manufacturing is difficult and process costs increase. In addition, when a check valve is installed in the modulator block, since parts have to be sequentially installed, there is a problem in that precise installation and management are difficult.